THYME Common Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) Lemon Thyme (T.

x citriodorus) [Lamiaceae]
Unlike most herbs, thyme withstands long, slow cooking retaining its flavour and, used with discretion, it enhances other herbs without overpowering them. Thyme is indispensable in every French stew, from pot-au-feu to cassoulet, but equally in Spanish ones as well. Thyme is widely used to flavour pt and terrines, thick vegetable soups, tomato and wine-based sauces, and in marinades for pork and game. Used sparingly in cooking, thyme is good with meat but also aubergines, cabbage, carrots, lamb, leeks, wild mushrooms, onions, potatoes, pulses, rabbit and tomatoes. It also works well in stuffing and pies. Use whole sprigs or strip off leaves

LEMON THYME (T.x Citriodorus)

Looks and grows like English thyme, and is used in any dish that cries out for lemons. It has a citrus flavour, but is milder than most other thyme. This citrus flavour helps to lighten fatty dishes. Lemon Thyme is added to marinades for grilled fish, chicken and roast duck, and works well in creamy potato gratins, risotto and carrots. It can also be used to season seafood dishes and sweets. The natural oils work as a digestive aid and are used in aromatherapy and asthma treatment.

Thyme & Lemon Thyme

Thyme originates from Southern Europe and is classified in the same plant family as mint. Thyme is one of the most widely used herbs. There are believed to be about 350 species in the genus Thymus, with common thyme and lemon thyme the most widely used in Western cooking. With a pleasant aroma and a warm pungent taste, it is used in a wide variety of cuisines from French to Greek, Italian, Persian and Spanish, to name but a few. Thyme is rich in essential oils giving its characteristic fragrance and strong flavouring value as a culinary herb, as well as the source of its medicinal properties. The history and varied uses of thyme go back a long way. The name thyme, from the Latin thymus or Greek thymos, meaning spirit or smoke. The Greeks burnt thyme as incense in their temples and used it in their baths; and the ancient Egyptians used it in the mummification process. The Greeks believed that thyme was a source of courage and bravery. In medieval times, ladies embroidered a symbolic sprig of thyme and a honeybee on their scarves, which they gave as favours to the bravest knights. It is believed that thyme spread throughout Europe thanks to the Romans. Rather than using it primarily as a culinary herb, sprigs were used to purify their chambers; as well as for flavouring cheese and liqueurs. In the Middle Ages, the herb was placed beneath pillows to aid sleep and protect against nightmares. Thyme was also placed on coffins during funerals to promise passage into the next life. Since the 16th century, thyme oil has been used for its antiseptic properties both as a mouthwash and as a topical application. The essential oil from common thyme is made up of 20-54% thymol, a strong antiseptic that before the arrival of modern antibiotics was used to medicate bandages and soothe cuts. Thyme has also been employed in natural medicine for chest and respiratory problems including coughs, bronchitis and congestion. In the UK, thyme is mainly used as a culinary herb for flavouring stuffings, sauces, roasts, stews and soups; as a classic partner to red meat, chicken or roasted root vegetables. The

flavour of thyme combines well with other herbs and spices. In French cuisine, along with parsley and bay, it is one of the key herbs used as part of a bouquet garni and in herbes de Provence. As with bay, thyme retains its flavour well in slow cooked dishes so is usually added towards the start of the cooking process. Lemon thyme is a natural cross between common and broad leaved thymes; in the kitchen the exquisite citrus flavour and aroma of this herb sets it apart. Almost no other herb will compliment fish or chicken as well! Depending on how it is used in a dish, the whole sprig may be used, or the leaves removed and the stems discarded. Usually when a recipe specifies 'bunch' or 'sprig' it means the whole form; when it specifies spoons it means the leaves. Leaves should be removed from stems either by scraping with the back of a knife, or by pulling through the fingers or tines of a fork. For further information on how to make the most of your thyme, if bought as a pot herb or cut, from caring to cooking and additional useful facts, have a perusal around our website and if you have any feedback or further tips and facts, please do get in touch.

Grey willow

A very common willow that looks much like goat willow and grows in similar places so it is quite hard to tell them apart.
What other names does it have? Grey sallow Can also be Common sallow known as

Pussy willow

Generic name Willow Latin name Family name Latin family name Salix cinerea subsp. oleifolia Willow Saliceceae

What type of tree is it? Is it a broadleaf or conifer?

It is a broadleaf

Does it lose its leaves in Yes, it is autumn? deciduous Species description: Average 5height 7m Leaf Description Shape Colour Leaf bud The leaves are long and thin- at least twice as long as wide. They have a fine felt underneath with odd rusty hairs under the veins. Oval Green Buds are rounded and have minute hairs for the first year

Leaf stalk Short stalk Leaf arrangeme Alternate nt

Flower, seed, and fruit Type of Catkin flower Type of seed Catkin body Seeds dispersed by

Wind

Bark and twig Bark Has shallow very dark grey ridges description Twig Young twigs are minutely hairy. Twigs older than two Description years are ridged What other trees are similar? Can easily be Goat willow or sallow- this has much larger oval to confused with? round leaves Where is it usually found? Is it native or non-native to Native the British Isles? Where is its natural range? Britain and Ireland Preferred soil type or environmental conditions? What is its British conservation status? Abundant in a range of conditions except on the lightest soils and dry sites Common

Additional information All willows were seen as trees of celebration in biblical times but this had changed over time and now the willows are associated with sadness and mourning. Classical poems often refer to willow in this way Tree and it is repeated in art with Ophelia drowning herself near a willow. It lore and is suggested that the bitter taste of willow gave it this assocation. folklore Sprays of sallow have frequently been used as palm to decorate churches and homes at Easter as little else was in leaf or flower. Tradition has it that if girls didnt wear a sprig of pussy willow on Palm Sunday, then they would get their hair pulled

alix cinerea
1. Wildlife 2. Trees and shrubs 3. Grey Willow

Brian Eversham

About
Grey Willow, also known as 'Common Sallow', is a large shrub willow. It is found in ditches, reedbeds, wet woodland and urban waste ground. It is one of the UK's commonest willows and is known for the fluffy, silver-grey male catkins - or 'pussy willows' - that appear in January and turn bright yellow in March.

How to identify
Grey Willow can be distinguished from other scrub willows by its relatively small, bluntended, oblong leaves, two or three times as long as they are broad.

Where to find it

Widespread.

Habitats

Grey willow Salix cinerea

Grey willow (Salix cinerea) is also a member of the Salix genus. It is a deciduous tree growing up to 10m and flowering March to April. Grey willow has characteristics which are subtly different from goat willow and the two species frequently hybridise. Their human use, timber type and wildlife value is very similar. Characteristics are similar to goat willow, with second year twigs showing many long raised ridges (peel the bark to see this). Leaves are very variable, oblong and sometimes more rounded at the tip, tapered to the base, 29cm, downy above when young and downy below. There are two sub-species of grey willow: ssp cinerea, with leaves soft woolly grey below and no rusty hairs, common only in east England; and ssp oleifolia, with leaves only downy on veins below when mature with some rusty hairs developing in late summer, common in most of the UK. Grey willow is commonly found in wet woodland, near rivers, lakes and streams. Seeds ripen May to June and are quickly blown away by the wind so you need to collect them at just the right time. Seeds only remain viable for a few days so they must be sown straight away. They do not require any dormancy or pre-treatment. Grey willow can also be propagated from soft or hardwood cuttings.